Just Magic
by Joy Kathlyn
Summary: Slight of hand tricks really do seem like magic, but what about to wizards? Oneshot, first story, constructive criticism is welcome!


I own nothing.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Witches and wizards! Please gather 'round!" The brunette girl stood at the bottom of the Gringotts stairs, drawing a crowd. "Today, you will see some truly magical tricks of mine that I have been practicing." She was swinging a ring on a chain around her fingers, smiling at the people. "Children in the front if you will! Thank you, thank you!"

She stepped up to an official looking man standing close to the front. "Good afternoon kind sir, how are you doing today?"

The man raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure you aren't going to cast some standard illusions to make off with our money?" A look a shock permeated the teen's face.

"Of course not! I will be performing some very complicated magic that will leave you wondering how it's done!" She looked him up and down. "In fact, how about you come down to the front to help me show everyone in the crowd that I will not be fooling them one bit!" The man looked down at the little girl standing next to him. She grinned excitedly and pushed her father towards the front of the crowd. The man walked to stand next to the girl. She took his hand and shook it, "Thank you very much dear sir!" She turned to face the crowd, still holding the man's hand, "Please give a big thank you to this kind gentleman here for helping me out today!" The crowd applauded half heartedly, with the small children in front jumping up and down in excitement.

The dark-haired girl turned to face the man, fiddling with her cap. "Well sir, today you will be helping me keep this show honest." She dug around in her pocket and pulled out a long stick. "How you will be doing that is this, you will hold my wand in full view of the crowd during the entire performance." She paused to look him in the eye. "Do you think you can do that, sir?"

"Yes I can." He looked rather confused as she placed the stick in his hands and folded his fingers around it.

"Thank you very much. Another round of applause, ladies and gentlemen!" She stepped closer to the row of children, swinging her ring on a chain around her fingers. "Alright. My first act will consist of some vanishing!" Her dark hair swung in her face as she held her hands at her eye level. "Please watch my ring here," She twirled the chain around her fingers. "It's very important that you not lose sight of this ring, I need you to tell me if the ring disappears, because I need it for this trick!"

"It's gone!" A witch of about forty called out, shocked. The girl looked at her hand and looked taken aback.

"So it is! I wonder where it went?" She strolled around the gathered crowd, looking closely at them. "I shouldn't have used that ring for this trick. You see folks, it has an unpleasant habit of disappearing when I need it most."

"So why use it?" An old man in fairly nice robes spoke up.

"Because it's got what it takes to be the star of one of my acts!" She stopped in front of him. "Wait! Sir! You've got something right there!" She leaned forward and snatched something from behind his ear. "Here it is! Thank you for finding it sir!" She shook his hand. "A round of applause for the gentlemen right here!"

By this time, the crowd was becoming more enamored with the act. New people were coming to see what all the fuss was about.

"Hello, hello to all our newcomers!" She waved to them, as the children walked to the front and the adults packed closer together.

"Now that we've found my ring, I don't really want to risk losing it again. So let us move on to the next act I have planned!" The crowd groaned at her first statement and cheered at the second.

"Now, for this act, I will need a volunteer and two coins of different types! DO I have anyone willing?" A number of people raised their hands, and a few more than that looked down to dig in their coin purses. "You with the toad. Yes, you! Come on down!" A boy who looked a few years younger than the young performer walked to stand next to her, shuffling in nervously from foot to foot. "Hello, hello! What's your name?" The boy muttered something quietly. "Neville? Alright Neville! A round of applause for Neville!" She clapped along with the crowd. "Alright! Now, do you have your coins?" The boy named Neville nodded and held them out to her. "Not quite yet, my friend! First we must make sure with my other friend over here that I have not touched, or even gotten near my wand!" She turned to the man, who's little girl had come to stand by, as the rest of the crowd turned with her.

"You have not."

"Thank you very much!" She turned back to the boy. "Now Neville, please pick one of those coins in your hand to give to me, and keep the other for yourself!" He did so and handed her one coin. "Let's see what I have here." She held the coin close to her face. "A sickle! Now Neville, please tell the crowd what you have in your hand!"

"A knut." The boy's quiet voice barely carried over the crowd.

"Alright! Now Neville, please hold your coin like so, and don't let go." She placed the coin between her palms and pinned it there. Neville stood in front of her. "Now I have the sickle and you have the knut right?" The boy nodded. "I have the sickle and Neville here has the knut, right?" She called to the crowd. There seemed to be a general agreement of this fact. "Now, are you sure?" There were shouts of yeses from the gathered people. "If you say so! Now Neville, I'm going to count down from three, and when I say go, you're going to open your hands and reveal your coin to the crowd." He nodded. "Ready? Three! Two! One! GO!" They both opened their hands to the crowd. In the hand of the dark-haired teenager, was a knut, and in the hand of the boy named Neville was a sickle. There was a moment of silence.

The small crowd burst into cheers.

"Hey, HEY! What are you doing!" One of the goblin guards marched down the Gringotts steps towards the crowd.

"I'm putting on a show." The girl clasped her hands behind her back.

"Well, you can't do that here." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course. I'll clear out right away." She turned to the crowd, "Sorry folks! Looks like the show has come to an end!" She handed a coin back to the boy. "A big round of applause for my volunteers! And thank you all for watching! If any of you want to show your appreciation for the show, spare change is welcome!" She waved for the older man and Neville to take a bow with her and pulled off her hat to collect change in. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Many of the crowd dropped coins into her hat as they walked off, as she shook the hand of each of them.

She turned to the older man and his daughter as the crowd finished dispersing. "Thank you for helping me out today sir."

He held out the stick, "Are you going to take this back?"

"You can keep it if you want sir. Or for your daughter." She grinned at the little girl.

"But it's your wand." The man looked very confused.

"No it's not. It's not even a wand at all. Just a stick."

"So you have your wand on you. I thought you were trying to keep your act honest." The man and the little girl stared at her.

"If I used a wand sir, I'm sure I would have to give it to someone to keep the crowd happy. But I'm a Squib. I have never been able to use a wand and will never be able to." She smiled.

"But how did you do it then?" It was the little girl who asked, but the man looked interested as well.

"Magic." She winked at the girl.


End file.
